Healthcare Matters

The interconnected view of the healthcare industry’s future was the focus of the FedEx Healthcare Summit hosted this week in New York City. The conference featured presentations and discussions with FedEx leaders and external industry experts on the changing dynamics of the healthcare industry and the need for new solutions.

“As research and manufacturing increase around the world, there’s a corollary demand for global healthcare services and solutions. FedEx offers the connectivity the healthcare industry needs to harness the power of that growth,” said Frederick W. Smith, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx Corp.

“As countries develop and populations expand, the market for our customers’ healthcare products and services grows right alongside,” said Richard W. Smith, director of Life Sciences and Specialty Services, FedEx Express. “We know that the right mix of efficient supply chain solutions will be a critical underpinning to this growth for years to come. That’s why FedEx has dedicated time, money and man-power to build out a portfolio of products and services specially designed to fit the needs of our healthcare customers. From innovations in cold chain technology to increasing the speed and reach of our temperature-controlled shipping capabilities, FedEx is a leader in transporting critical healthcare inventory around the world.”

FedEx product enhancements showcased for customers throughout the summit included:

• SenseAware: The next generation of this award-winning sensor-based technology is now available for general use. Upgrades include improved GPS capabilities and cellular connectivity, as well as increased battery life to support longer transit times. New accessories such as the dry ice probe, among others, are increasing the effectiveness of SenseAware to help customers monitor their most critical shipments.

• FedEx Priority Alert: This service, previously only available on domestic U.S. shipments, is now being rolled out on a broad scale. Beginning in October 2012, contract customers shipping to and from more than 70 international markets will have access to the increased monitoring and proactive intervention services of Priority Alert. The healthcare industry specifically benefits from the expansion, as the specialized services of FedEx Priority Alert Plus include recovery actions, such as dry ice replenishment, gel pack reconditioning and access to cold storage to help keep potentially life-saving shipments safe.

• FedEx Deep Frozen Shipping: FedEx makes the transportation of deep-frozen material simpler than ever before, eliminating the need for dry ice or expensive rented shipping equipment. This value-add FedEx service provides customers dealing with deep frozen material—such as body fluids, tissue samples or medicines—with a ready-to-ship, super-cooled Dewar that holds a temperature below minus-150 degrees Celsius for up to 10 days. Dry ice, in contrast, must be replenished every 72 hours to maintain its temperature. Eliminating the need for dry ice also reduces customs clearance delays and helps ensure sensitive deliveries arrive on time and in pristine clinical condition.

FedEx has a nicely developed set of secure shipping and logistics solutions that can be further tailored  to meet  special requirements. Major players like DHL, Fedex and UPS are obviously effective moving products from door to door, but they are often underutilized and/or not competitively evaluated from a supply chain tool vendor perspective. That should change, as demand for secure track and trace solutions continues to surge and the most mature providers –in the shipping application space– add features and streamline integration paths to the other complementary apps.

Source: FedEx and Business Wire

—Tom Finn